Backwash: What pop culture chews up and spits back out -- 'Gangnam Style'

Perhaps you’ve heard of a song called “Gangnam Style.” It’s by some Korean dude who calls himself PSY and it’s got, like, a trillion views on YouTube. No? Well, take my word for it, it’s popular. And as with most things that are popular - Snuggies, pretty girls, singing competition reality shows - it’s inspired all sorts of imitators. Now before you rush to the nearest tablet or mobile device and hunt these down for yourself, be warned: not all of the imitations are good. In fact some of them are quite bad. So, with that in mind, we noble souls at EW.com have combed the teeming thicket of the internet and selected the mashups and reenactments that may actually be worth watching. I can’t promise that they measure up to the original K-Pop hit - because, honestly, what can? But I can promise that someone, somewhere, found them amusing. And in this short life of ours, PopWatchers, that’s all we can really ask for.

The 3 Best Mashups

1. “Gangnam Style” x “Starships” x “Satisfaction” x “Acapella”

There are plenty of club-banger mashups out there, but how many of them include Nicki Minaj, Kelis, and Italian techno wizard Benny Benassi? Only one, that’s how many. And it is every bit as nonsensical as you’d expect.

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2. “Gangnam Style” x “Somebody that I Used to Know”

It was only a matter of time before someone mixed the most-liked video on YouTube with Gotye’s hit single.

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3. “Gangnam Style” x “Levels x First of the Year – Equinox”

Mashing PSY with Avicii and Skrillex could produce one of two things: bro-step gold or a hate-seizure. I’m partial to a little bass wobble so, for me, this one works great.

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Honorable Mention: Gangnam Busters

Gotta give these guys props for patching together a catchy tune without totally ruining the classic theme song.

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3 Best Live Reenactments

1. University of Oregon Marching Band

This is probably the only “Gangnam Style” live video you’ll ever need to watch. Check out that orchestration! That commitment! Those hips!

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2. Indonesian flash mob

Yeah, yeah, flash mobs are old news. But it’s still cool when 1000 people pony-dance in a gigantic fountain in the middle of Jakarta.